Lessons
by NicNacs
Summary: In which accidents with lightning cause much confusion.
1. Flying Lessons

Flying Lessons  
**************  
  
No rotten fruit, please! Please R+R, *constructive* criticism welcome.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, but they're not. I promise not to hurt them.  
  
**************  
  
Three indistinct forms crept along the chain link fence surrounding the high security secret government warehouse. In the darkness, it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female. Suddenly lightning cracked, making the middle figure jump. The first figure glanced back to make sure the others were all right, then continued onwards.   
  
As the lightning cracked again and again, the figures were revealed to be two men and a woman. One man wore glasses, but he wasn't looking through them. They were perched on the end of his nose, and he was squinting through the rain towards the warehouse. This wasn't because he was long sighted, although that would be his excuse if anyone asked. Instead, it was because his X-ray vision wouldn't work through the glasses.  
  
Looking into the warehouse, Clark could see the guards moving around. He mentally cursed Perry's insistence that he and Lois would need a photographer. If it was just the two of them, getting inside would be simple, but with Jimmy here it would be harder. There was no way that Clark could explain how he knew where the guards were before he could see them.  
  
A door slammed, faintly heard over the wind and rain.  
  
The three friends paused, each resting a hand against the fence to steady themselves. The lightning was very close now, and was coming very fast. Listening to the guards, Clark learned that tonight's meeting had been cancelled. He was just thinking of a way to suggest going home that wouldn't give his secret away when a bolt of lightning came from directly above them and struck the surprised reporter squarely on the head.  
  
***  
  
Lois jumped in shock when the lightning hit her husband, and couldn't suppress a moment or worry for her husband's health. Almost immediately she reminded herself that Clark wasn't going to be hurt by a little lightning. She blinked a couple of times to clear her vision. Then she wondered why she wasn't fried. After all, she was touching the fence that Clark was touching when he was hit...  
  
Lois looked at the fence speculatively. She remembered what Clark had told her about Resplendent Man, and she remembered how overwhelmed she had felt when UltraWoman first got superpowers. She felt the same now. Quickly she tried out some of the less obvious powers. She could hear Clark's heartbeat, and yes, she grinned mischievously, the X-ray vision was working. UltraWoman was back!  
  
Clark was looking at her worriedly.   
  
'Lois? Are you OK?' he asked quietly, trusting to the thunder to prevent the guards in the warehouse hearing.  
  
'Yes Clark,' she looked him in the eye, trying to convey her meaning. 'You could even say I feel Ultra good.' He looked blank, so she glanced significantly at the fence, where three hands still rested.  
  
Clark's eyes widened, and then the couple simultaneously looked at Jimmy.  
  
'You OK, Jimmy?' asked Clark softly.  
  
Jimmy looked dazed. 'I think there's something wrong with my eyes, and why are you shouting? Come to think of it, why is everything so loud?'  
  
Lois and Clark exchanged worried looks, and then Clark sighed.  
  
'We might as well tell him Lois. He's going to figure it out soon anyway.' Lois muttered something indistinct, and then nodded.  
  
'What's wrong with me?' asked Jimmy plaintively. 'Am I going to die?' Even as he said it, it sounded ridiculous, but he still glared at his friends when they burst out laughing.   
  
When he stopped, Clark said, sounding deadly serious, 'I doubt it Jimmy. You have superpowers.'  
  
'I do? How did that happen?'  
  
'Um... the lightning. Look, the meeting in there was cancelled. Let's go back to our house and we can talk about it.'  
  
Jimmy looked like he was going to ask something, but obviously decided it wasn't worth it. He shrugged his shoulders and uncomplainingly followed Lois and Clark back to the Jeep.  
  
***  
  
15 minutes later, the three wet reporters entered the house on Hyperion Avenue. As soon as they were inside, Jimmy turned to the others and said, 'Now are you going to tell me how come I have superpowers? Because, you know, I *am* quite curious.'   
  
Clark sighed (again), and gestured towards the couch. 'This could take some time. Why don't we sit down.' He noticed his wife staring at Jimmy with that look in her eyes, and then Jimmy exclaimed,  
  
'Hey! I'm dry! How?' Lois grinned, and didn't answer, instead turning towards Clark. When he was dry, too, he pulled down his glasses and squinted at her, using his heat vision to return the favour.  
  
Ignoring Jimmy's questions, Clark sat down. Lois disappeared upstairs, returning a few moments later with a gleam in her eyes that Clark recognised. He started to worry, and turned to Jimmy.  
  
'Do you remember Resplendent Man?' When Jimmy nodded, he continued. 'There was something we didn't put in that story. Several things actually. He didn't just wake up one morning with superpowers. He got them from Superman.' With a little prompting from Lois, he told Jimmy the whole story. When he was finished, Jimmy was only a little less confused.  
  
'So, what you're saying is, if Superman is struck by lightning while he's touching another person, they get his powers? But Superman wasn't there tonight, only us. I must be missing something.' He paused, thinking, and then jokingly said, 'oh, hey, maybe you're Superman! Or Lois could be UltraWoman! Now there's an idea.'  
  
Jimmy looked at the expressions on the faces of his friends, and his eyes widened. 'You're kidding, right? You're not kidding. Oh man! Which one of you has superpowers?'  
  
'Originally, just me,' confessed Clark, taking off his glasses. 'That's how I knew the meeting had been cancelled.' Lois broke in, the excitement barely repressed in her voice,  
  
'But now, thanks to that lightning, UltraWoman is back.' She stood up and spun in place, revealing the UltraWoman costume that she had found in the closet a few minutes ago.  
  
'Oh,' was all that Jimmy could say.  
  
***  
  
On a remote hill in the middle of nowhere a short time later, a peculiar sight would have greeted the eyes of any observers who happened to glance that way. But Clark had chosen this hill because there were no observers. That way there was less chance of accidents happening. Jimmy had as little control of his powers as Lois, and indeed Clark had had when they first got theirs.  
  
***  
  
Several hours later, Jimmy had control of his powers. He could even fly reasonably well.   
  
'Now for the fun bit,' Clark grinned. 'Do you want a costume?' Jimmy nodded, and eagerly replied that he did, but where would he get one? He couldn't sew.   
  
Lois grinned. She spun into her costume, and held out her hand to Jimmy.   
  
'Do you remember when Superman saved the space shuttle? Amy Platt asked where he got his costume, and he said...'  
  
'My mother made it!' exclaimed Jimmy. He looked at Clark. 'Martha made your costume?'  
  
Clark spun into his costume, and nodded. 'You up for a trip to Kansas?'   
  
Lois giggled. 'Just follow the Yellow Brick Road!'  
  
Three figures disappeared into the sky, heading west, towards the setting sun.  
  
***  
  
Martha Kent was heading across the farmyard towards the house when she heard joyful laughter. She looked around, trying to find the source. Suddenly a movement in the sky caught her eye, and she shouted.  
  
'Jonathan!! Come here!' As her husband appeared on the porch behind her, she stared at the three figures coming towards them, swooping and diving, tumbling around each other in mid air. Martha's first thought was that the New Kryptonians had come back, but these figures were having too much fun for that. The figures were closer now, and the bemused couple could see that one of them was their son.  
  
The three human birds seemed to sense that they were being watched, because they stopped tumbling, and looked towards the farm. And then they were there, landing grandly, two capes billowing in the breeze.  
  
Jonathan and Martha looked at one another in puzzlement, and then turned to greet their guests.   
  
'Hello, Superman. UltraWoman? We haven't seen you for a long time. Jimmy? When did you learn to fly?'   
  
Clark just grinned. 'Hi Mom, hi Dad. We had a little bit of an accident with some lightning.'  
  
***  
  
The Daily Planet newsroom was as noisy as ever. On the bank of TVs, the news was playing. Reporters were rushing in and out, chasing leads. Researchers were carrying thick folders to and from the records room. Lois and Clark were in Perry's office discussing their next assignment.   
  
Three heads snapped up, cocked to one side, with almost identical expressions on the faces. Jimmy glanced round to find the rest of the team. Listening to the fire chief on the radio, he nodded. This sounded big. He got up.  
  
'Lois, Clark, phone call on line two!' he stuck his head into Perry's office and rescued his friends. They hastily made their excuses to Perry, and the three reporters headed for the stairwell.   
  
***  
  
Jimmy looked up from the paper he was reading. Seeing Lois and Clark, he asked, 'Does it get any less weird?'  
  
Clark looked at the paper, and saw the headlines 'UltraWoman Returns' by Lois Lane, and 'Third Mysterious Superhero' by James Olsen. He chucked.  
  
'Writing about yourself? No. But wait 'till the tabloids come up with something. Then *reading* about yourself can get really interesting.'  
  
The three reporters, friends, and sometime superheroes dissolved into laughter, and went back to work. Life could only get more interesting.  



	2. Landing Lessons

Landing Lessons  
By NicNacs  
***  
  
They're not mine. Still. Which is a pity.  
  
Thanks go to Phil for sparking an idea in my brain... and Kelly and Tricia, my Betas.  
  
***  
  
Metropolis' newest superhero was flying. His blue cape was flapping in the wind of his passage as he made his way back to work after a rescue. He wasn't hurrying, just enjoying the sunshine. Thanks to that interview he gave himself last week, Perry was giving him more proper jobs, and it was much easier to get out of the office for rescues.  
  
Rolling on to his back, he stared up at the clouds. An aeroplane passed, and he idly wondered if they were close enough to make out the emblem on his chest. He was quite proud of his superhero persona. Ace wasn't as formal sounding as Superman or UltraWoman. It was more... him, somehow. And he had to admit, the suit was something. The orange stylised A stood out on the dark green chest of his suit and gave the impression of youth, while the blue mask obscured his face enough that even Perry hadn't recognised him earlier that week. The orange belt and boots completed the outfit.  
  
Suddenly, Ace was jolted from his reverie by a wave of panic. He lost altitude, and just barely avoided the tops of several buildings. The asphalt rushed up to meet him, dark in the bright summer's light. Jimmy's last thought was to hope that enough of his invulnerability remained to protect him.  
  
***  
  
"Jimmy's been gone a long time, Lois, I'm starting to get worried." Clark was perched on the edge of Lois' desk. She glanced up at him.  
  
"Don't worry, Clark, he'll be fine. After all, what could possibly happen to him?"   
  
***  
  
"Hey buddy, you OK?"  
  
Jimmy groaned.  
  
"I'll take that as a no, shall I?"  
  
His eyes opened a crack and he squinted into the darkness of the alley. There was a man looking at him with concern, surrounded by trash. Behind the man, Jimmy could see the mouth of the alley, and beyond it the city street was bathed in sunshine. He tried to sit up.  
  
"Hey, I don't think you should be doing that, buddy, you need to see a doctor." The man tried to hold Jimmy down, but some of his super-strength remained, and he got unsteadily to his feet.  
  
"Thanks, but I'll be fine," he said. "Could you just help me over to the sunshine?" The man complied. As soon as the sunlight hit him, Jimmy began to feel revitalised. Within a few minutes he thanked the man again and flew off unsteadily to haunts unknown.   
  
***  
  
"Jimmy! What happened? You look terrible!" Lois ignored an 'I-told-you-so' look from her husband, and ushered her young friend into the conference room. When they had closed the door, Jimmy sat down heavily.  
  
"I crashed," he said, matter-of-factly.  
  
"You... crashed?" Lois was surprised how stunned Clark looked. After all, he was the one who was worried about Jimmy.  
  
"Yeah, I suddenly just lost control. I don't know why. It was really scary. I felt better once I got into the sun, but I still don't feel a hundred percent." Jimmy paused to let his story sink in. "Did this ever happen to either of you? Or to Resplendent Man?"  
  
Clark considered this. "The only time I've ever lost my powers has been when there's Kryptonite around. Lois and Resplendent Man didn't have powers very long. Who knows if they would have lost them?"  
  
"There was that kid," Lois added, "the one who everyone thought was Superman's love child. He lost his powers. Maybe humans just can't cope with all that power."  
  
Lois glanced out of the window into the newsroom. She noticed that Perry was coming towards them.  
  
"I think we should continue this discussion later. Maybe over dinner tonight. Until then, Clark should handle the rescues. If Jimmy's powers are failing, mine could too."  
  
Clark sighed. It was supposed to be his day off, barring emergencies, but he did see the need. Don't be so petty, he told himself. "I agree. No more rescues for you two."  
  
At that point, Perry opened the conference room door. He was in a good mood, because of all the news generated by the new superhero. "I hope you three are discussing work," he joked, "or I might just have to fire you."  
  
"Oh yes, Perry, definitely work." Lois replied, nodding her head. Just not the kind of work you mean, she added silently. Luckily Perry didn't ask what they'd been working on, instead turning to Jimmy.  
  
"I need you to do something for me, Jimmy." He turned and lead the way out of the conference room, trusting that Jimmy would follow. The cub reporter shrugged at his friends and went to see what Perry wanted.  
  
"I'm going to take a trip over to where Jimmy was when he crashed. See if I can see anything that might have caused this."   
  
"You mean you're going to see if there's any Kryptonite there. Clark, that's silly. What if there is? You would just end up crashing like Jimmy, and nothing would be accomplished at all."  
  
"Lois, I know what I'm doing. I can feel the stuff from far enough away that it wouldn't affect me. Jimmy doesn't know what it feels like, so he might not have sensed it until it was too late." Clark waited until his wife reluctantly nodded. Experience had taught him that doing things without her permission was a recipe for disaster. He left the conference room and headed for the stairwell.  
  
***  
  
In the sky above Hobbs Bay, Superman hovered behind a cloud and scanned the area. He couldn't feel any of the symptoms of Kryptonite poisoning, but that didn't mean there wasn't a lead box with some in down there somewhere, with some villain just waiting to open it when he saw the brightly clad superhero. That's why he was hiding behind a cloud. Unfortunately, it wasn't helping. He couldn't see anyone walking around with suspicious lead-lined boxes, and he was reluctant to look into people's houses after he caught sight of something he would rather forget.  
  
A cry for help reached his ears from the other side of the city. Taking a last look at the streets below, he flew towards the screams. As he emerged from the cloud, he felt a sudden bout of nausea sweep over him. He began to fall.  
  
***  
  
In a quiet out of the way alley in Hobbs Bay, a face could be seen in the sinister green glow coming from a small lead box. Quietly, the light winked out, and darkness reigned.  
  
"Oh, that'll do nicely."  
  
***  
  
"Hey buddy, you OK?"  
  
Clark groaned.  
  
"I'll take that as a no, shall I?"  
  
His eyes opened a crack and he squinted up at the man who was hovering over him. They were in an alley, surrounded by trash. Behind the man, Clark could see the mouth of the alley, and beyond it the city street was bathed in sunshine. At first it looked like paradise, but only by comparison. He tried to sit up.  
  
"Hey, I don't think you should be doing that, buddy, you need to see a doctor." Clark brushed the man off and got unsteadily to his feet.  
  
"Thanks, but I'll be fine," he said. He staggered over to the mouth of the alley, trying not to lean too heavily on the man. As soon as the sunlight hit him, Clark began to feel revitalised. Within a few minutes he thanked the man again and flew off into the distance.   
  
The man's eyes followed the superhero until he was out of sight.   
  
"Must be something going around," he said to himself. "That's the second one I've rescued today!"  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, back at the Planet, Lois and Jimmy were beginning to get worried. Lois had told Jimmy where Clark had gone. Jimmy was horrified.   
  
"But what if there IS some Kryptonite?"  
  
"That's what I said, Jimmy." She sighed. Something prompted her to look up as the elevator opened, and she broke into a relieved smile. The smile soon faded, however, as she took in her husband's appearance. His shoulders were slightly slumped, and he had a look about him that said, quite clearly, Lois is going to be mad at me.  
  
He was right.  
  
Lois got up and stalked into the conference room. Jimmy followed slowly, reluctant to participate in what was surely to follow. When Clark reached the conference room, he cautiously entered and shut the door.   
  
"What did I tell you? There was Kryptonite, wasn't there? And you crashed." It wasn't a question. Clark sat down heavily in a chair and sighed.  
  
"You have every right to be angry with me, Lois. I ignored you, and I paid the price. But I think we can safely say that Jimmy's powers aren't fading. It was just the Kryptonite. Now all we have to do is figure out who has the Kryptonite and get it back." He looked at Lois beseechingly, and her heart melted. She tried not to let it show.  
  
"I'll let you off this time. I think you've suffered enough. Now, about this Kryptonite. Where exactly were you? And how did you get that close without feeling it?"  
  
"It must have been in a lead box. I didn't feel anything until I came out from behind the cloud. It was the same place that Jimmy crashed earlier. It was very strong; there must have been a lot of it, but I feel fine now, completely healthy. No lingering effects at all."  
  
Jimmy looked oddly at Clark. "You know, that's strange, I feel weak still. Almost no powers at all."  
  
***  
  
Lois contacted Bobby Bigmouth to see if he knew anything about the Kryptonite, but for once the snitch came up dry, even when Lois offered ten three-course meals at a very posh restaurant. There were no witnesses, no rumours of large stashes of Kryptonite, and no Intergang plans to get rid of the heroes (no new ones, anyway). Lois was convinced that the whole thing was too well organised to be Intergang, who invariably left some clues, witnesses or evidence.  
  
A couple of days later, the three reporters were no closer to finding out who had been behind the Kryptonite. No more attacks had been made, on any of the superheroes. Lois was doing rescues again, and although Jimmy wasn't back to full strength yet, he was insisting on helping. Clark understood the reason. He couldn't watch people in danger and not do anything, so he had no right to ask Jimmy to stop helping. They had agreed on one thing, however. Jimmy was not flying, and he wasn't doing major rescues on his own. It would do no good at all if he lost the power of flight when he was doing Mach 30 two hundred feet off the ground! [thank you, Phil]  
  
Jimmy's continuing weakness was starting to worry the trio of heroes. When Clark was exposed to Kryptonite his powers came back abruptly. They didn't come back half way and then slowly start to deteriorate, as Jimmy's appeared to be doing. He was now only slightly more invulnerable than the average person. A small fire probably wouldn't hurt him, but anything larger would almost certainly be painful. They decided to go and see Dr Klein.  
  
***  
  
The man picked up the sickly green rock and turned it over in his fingers. He appeared thoughtful.  
  
"Mr Smith, we are impressed. It's been two days and there is no sign of that meddling do-gooder Ace regaining the power of flight. Your product shows considerable promise. We are worried, however, that there seemed to be less effect on Superman."  
  
"I'm working on that small problem. It should be fixed within two weeks. Meanwhile, a little funding would speed the research along."  
  
"Don't push your luck, Mr Smith. We are not renowned for our sense of humour."   
  
Mr Smith nodded nervously, and left the room.  
  
***  
  
Two capes swished quietly as Superman and Ace walked into Dr Klein's office. The scientist was engrossed in the beakers of brightly coloured liquids in front of him, and didn't react to the duo's presence. Superman cleared his throat gently at what seemed to be a good point, when all the beakers were on the bench rather than in Dr Klein's hands.  
  
Dr Klein jumped.  
  
"Oh! Superman! I hope I didn't keep you waiting." He blinked, noticing the younger superhero for the first time. He seemed excited to meet Superman's friend, and immediately started asking questions.  
  
"Ace! It's nice to finally meet you. I assume you're Kryptonian, well, New Kryptonian, since the old one... What made you decide to come to Earth? Can I see your ship? Superman won't let me see his. Are you related?"  
  
Ace looked uncomfortable.  
  
"I'm... a friend." Superman grinned, remembering his words to Lois the first time they met. Ace looked at him in confusion.  
  
"Sorry. Private joke." He changed the subject. "If he's going to help we need to tell him, you know."  
  
"I know. I'm getting into the habit of keeping secrets already."  
  
"What's the problem? What do you need to tell me?"  
  
Superman started to explain.  
  
"A couple of days ago we ran into some Kryptonite. Ace hasn't recovered completely yet. But even I am back to full power, so why isn't he?"  
  
The normally absent minded doctor picked up on that small clue.  
  
"*Even* you? What's different about Ace?"  
  
"I'm not Kryptonian." Ace spoke quietly from the other side of the room where he was seemingly engrossed in an experiment running there. He turned to face the inevitable onslaught of questions.  
  
"You're not? But the powers?"  
  
"Lightning, a conductor, a little luck. Instant superhero." He shrugged, and then looked very serious. "Actually, that's something I've been wondering. If I'm not Kryptonian, why does Kryptonite even affect me?"  
  
Dr Klein looked thoughtful for a moment, considering the few facts he had at his disposal.   
  
"I'm not sure, but it is possible that there is something about the powers themselves that is innately Kryptonian. When Superman is exposed to Kryptonite, it affects him physically - nausea, dizziness, and so forth. Since you didn't experience any of those symptoms, perhaps the Kryptonite would take away the powers and leave you unharmed."  
  
Jimmy tried to understand the scientist's explanation, and then decided that it didn't matter. It was enough to know that Kryptonite would take the powers away. He got back to the immediate problem, the fact that his powers weren't returning.  
  
"Can you help, Dr Klein?"  
  
"Well, I need to do some tests. Can I have a tissue sample?"  
  
***  
  
The good thing about having no leads, Lois thought, was that she was so busy looking for one that she didn't have time to worry about Dr Klein's tests. She had been to see the scientist earlier that day to provide her own tissue sample. Dr Klein wanted to compare the two human-Kryptonians. He thought they would be different from Superman, which was a fair assumption.  
  
It was a busy time for the superheroes. The criminals of Metropolis decided that since Ace wasn't being as public as he had been, they were relatively safe. The fact that there was still one more superhero than there had been before didn't seem to bother them. In one night, Superman and UltraWoman caught 15 small time crooks, 5 bank robbers, and 27 muggers.  
  
Lois slumped into her chair. She had just returned from another rescue, and was about to re-start - for the tenth time - the story that she was supposed to be working on. The phone rang. Lois groaned and glared at it for a moment before answering it.  
  
"Lois Lane."  
  
"Lois, could you get a hold of your friends, please? I need to see them." Lois easily recognised Dr Klein's voice. She briefly wondered whether to be offended at the fact that Dr Klein thought she had so few friends that she'd know exactly who he meant, but decided she didn't have the energy.  
  
"You mean Superman and UltraWoman, I assume?"  
  
***  
  
"You wanted to see us, Dr Klein?" Superman looked outwardly calm, but inside he was uneasy. Dr Klein must have the results of the tests he was running on Lois and Jimmy's cells. Clark hoped that the news was good. It had been nice not to have to worry about his friends getting hurt. If they lost their powers, they would be just as vulnerable as they had been before.  
  
Dr Klein looked at the three superheroes standing in his office. He thought they looked worried, apprehensive. He could alleviate some of the concern, at least. He addressed UltraWoman first.  
  
"The tests that I was running on your tissue sample were very interesting. If I didn't already know that you weren't Kryptonian, I would have been worried, but I think they are normal for a human-Kryptonian mix such as yourself. The cells are very robust, it was fascinating really..."  
  
"Dr Klein?" Lois said. "Could you get to the point?"  
  
"Oh, sorry! I'm fairly certain that your powers are not fading. You are perfectly healthy. In fact, I exposed your sample to Kryptonite, and although it had an effect, it was very minimal. It would probably only weaken you slightly."  
  
"But?" Asked Jimmy impatiently. He knew from the doctor's posture that there was a but.  
  
Dr Klein sighed. "But the cells I took from Ace are somewhat different. Instead of repelling any attack on their structure, they are actually deteriorating. Spontaneously. It took me a while to figure out where I had seen cells doing this before, but eventually it came to me. Do you remember that boy who had superpowers for a while...?"  
  
Dr Klein continued, but Jimmy was no longer listening. He was already way ahead of the scientist. That small boy lost his powers. Which meant that Jimmy was going to lose his as well. The young hero felt an incredible sense of bereavement and he turned away from the surprised doctor. He knew his behaviour bordered on rude, but he didn't care. Wallowing in self-pity, he lost track of the conversation until he heard Clark interrupt the flow of words coming from the doctor.  
  
"Dr Klein? Could you summarize that, please? In English?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Superman!" Dr Klein paused for a moment to decide how to word what he wanted to say. "Ace is still fairly young. His body, just like that little boy's, is still growing, changing. Until it settles down, any powers would just fade as those changes occur. Kryptonite should only have a minimal effect, as it does on UltraWoman, but because the powers are fading anyway, the Kryptonite appears more potent."  
  
"So, in effect, he's growing out of it?" Clark looked relieved. At least there wasn't some new form of Kryptonite out there that would affect humans. He could stop worrying about Lois.  
  
***  
  
"Mr Smith, your modified Kryptonite has been very useful. Not only has it incapacitated Ace, where normal Kryptonite failed, but it also affects Superman from a greater distance than unmodified Kryptonite. We are very pleased. Now all that remains are the loose ends."  
  
The man placed a manila envelope on the table in front of him. Then he walked away. Opening a small safe in the wall, he pulled out a gun, hiding it from Mr Smith with his body. Mr Smith reached forward to pick up the envelope, taking his eyes off the man as he did so. It was the last mistake he would ever make.  
  
The man smiled.  
  
"The loose ends, Mr Smith. *All* the loose ends."  
  
***  
  
Epilogue:  
  
On the roof of the Daily Planet, a solitary figure stared out into the night. He closed his eyes, feeling the wind on his face and imagining he was flying.   
  
James Olsen sighed and rested his chin on his hand. A slight noise warned him before a hand descended on his shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry, Jimmy. If there was any way..."  
  
"I know, Clark, it's just, it's not fair, y'know?" He turned to face his friend. "I could do so much good with those powers, but just because I'm still growing, I don't have the chance."  
  
The two reporters were silent for a moment. Eventually, Clark spoke.  
  
"You still can, you know. Do good. You're not just the office grunt any more, you're a reporter. That has to mean something. And when you've stopped growing, we can find a thunderstorm..."  
  
"True." Jimmy seemed to have a thought. "I *can* help. After all, only a seasoned reporter could come up with as many *believable* excuses as you and Lois need."  
  
Clark looked shocked for a moment, and then the two friends, reporters and sometime superheroes burst out laughing.  
  
THE END  



	3. Landing Lessons (The Tank Version)

Flying Lessons II - Tank Version  
***  
  
Still don't own them.  
  
***  
  
Metropolis' newest superhero was flying. His blue cape was flapping in the wind of his passage as he made his way back to work after a rescue. He wasn't hurrying, just enjoying the sunshine. He knew that when he got back to the office Perry would have noticed that he was missing, and he would be in trouble. Sometimes being a superhero stank.  
  
Rolling on to his back, he stared up at the clouds. He waved at a passing aeroplane, and idly wondered if they were close enough to make out the emblem on his chest. He was quite proud of his superhero persona. Ace wasn't as formal sounding as Superman or UltraWoman. It was more... him, somehow. And he had to admit, the suit was something. The orange stylised A stood out on the dark green chest of his suit and gave the impression of youth, while the blue mask obscured his face enough that even Perry hadn't recognised him earlier that week. The orange belt and boots completed the outfit.  
  
Suddenly, Ace was jolted from his reverie by a wave of panic. He lost altitude, and just barely avoided the tops of several buildings. The asphalt rushed up to meet him, dark in the bright summer's light. Jimmy's last thought was to hope that enough of his invulnerability remained to protect him.  
  
It didn't.  
  
***  
  
In a quiet out of the way alley in Hobbs Bay, a face could be seen in the sinister green glow coming from a small lead box. Quietly, the light winked out, and darkness reigned.  
  
"Oh, that'll do nicely."  
  
THE END  



	4. Learning the Hard Way

_______________  
  
Learning the Hard Way  
  
By Nicola Baker  
  
Rated G  
  
Submitted November 2001  
  
_______________  
  
This is a sequel to Flying Lessons and Landing Lessons. Thanks to Liz and Tricia, my Betas.  
  
***  
  
For those who came in late: Lois, Clark and Jimmy were touching a metal fence that acted as a conductor when Clark was struck by lightning. Consequently, Lois and Jimmy both have superpowers. UltraWoman still has hers. Unfortunately, Ace (as Jimmy is known) had a run-in with some Kryptonite, and lost his powers. They have not come back. Dr Klein believes that this is because Ace is still growing. Given that she is older Kryptonite should therefore not affect UltraWoman. And now, read on:  
  
***  
  
Lois was, unusually, walking home from work. Normally she drove or flew, but today Clark had taken the Jeep to Star Labs to meet with Dr Klein about their current story, and she just felt like keeping her feet on the ground.  
  
"Perhaps the novelty of having superpowers is finally wearing off," she mused. "The media attention is starting to die down, and life is getting back to normal. Or what passes for normal around here. I almost wish something would happen."  
  
A black van pulled out of the traffic and mounted the pavement beside her. As the back door opened and men poured out, Lois rolled her eyes towards the heavens and exclaimed,  
  
"I said *almost*!"  
  
She turned her attention to the five men surrounding her. Dressed all in black with guns and ski masks, they looked like stereotypical kidnappers.  
  
"Five men with guns just to kidnap me? That's a little excessive, don't you think?"  
  
One of the men, Lois thought he was the leader, chuckled.  
  
"Your reputation precedes you, Ms Lane. I hear you are quite the martial arts expert. We wouldn't want you to escape, now would we?"  
  
Rolling her eyes, Lois tried her best to sound exasperated, even though she was secretly flattered.  
  
"No, wouldn't want that."  
  
The leader gestured with his gun towards the back of the van. Lois briefly considered resisting, maybe yelling for her husband, but she decided that since it was a slow news week, she would find out what the master plan was. That would make a much better story.  
  
"What harm can it do anyway?" Lois asked herself. It wasn't as if they could hurt her. Dr Klein had said that even Kryptonite would barely make her flinch. Lois decided that this was definitely a good thing, especially since they hadn't yet found the Kryptonite that had taken Jimmy's powers away.  
  
She climbed into the van.  
  
***  
  
Across the street, in a sidewalk cafe, a young man pulled a pen from his pocket and scribbled a note on his napkin. Replacing the pen in his pocket, he stood up. He knew someone who would want this information.  
  
***  
  
The small office in the corner of the warehouse was cold, dark, and lined with lead. Only the last of these bothered Lois in the slightest, despite the fact that she was tied to a chair in a draughty spot. What annoyed her more was that her kidnappers didn't seem interested in revealing their entire plan to her. She had to tease it out of them bit by bit. It was like getting blood from a stone. For the past hour, Lois had felt like alternately screaming or banging her head against the wall in frustration.  
  
But she was beginning to see the big picture. And she didn't like it.  
  
"Let me see if I've got this right," she smiled sweetly. "You kidnapped me as bait for Superman." She paused. "Despite the fact that it's been done before, and failed miserably every time. What makes you think this attempt will be any different?"  
  
The mysterious kidnapper grinned evilly.  
  
"Because we have this," he said, reaching into his coat and pulling out a small lead box. He opened it, revealing the Kryptonite within. Lois stared at him incredulously.  
  
"So did every other petty criminal who took it into his head to kidnap me as bait."  
  
The man grew red at her words.  
  
"I am *not* a *petty* criminal. I am the most feared and respected criminal mind this century! I am the head of..." He caught himself.  
  
Lois' mind was in overdrive, putting all the pieces together. The missing Kryptonite, the well organised kidnapping, the anti-Superman agenda.  
  
"Intergang." There was no doubt in her voice.  
  
The head of Intergang frowned.  
  
"Very good, Ms Lane. Your reputation is well deserved, I see. It doesn't matter. Soon you and Superman will be dead, and you will take the knowledge to your grave. Feel free to scream for your hero while I'm gone." Chuckling to himself, he left the room, leaving the Kryptonite behind.  
  
"Time to get out of here, I think," Lois muttered. She had all the information she needed for her story, and if she stayed any longer Clark would start to worry, despite her invulnerability. She tugged at the ropes binding her wrists.  
  
They didn't break.  
  
Frowning, Lois tugged a little harder. No result. She used all her strength, but the ropes remained firm. Lois began to struggle, panicked.  
  
"This isn't supposed to happen!" she thought frantically. "My powers are supposed to be permanent!" With dawning horror, she raised her eyes and looked at the Kryptonite. Dr Klein had been wrong. Kryptonite did affect her.  
  
Lois opened her mouth to scream for her husband, and then clamped it shut. She couldn't call Clark, not with Kryptonite about. She was going to have to do this the hard way.  
  
***  
  
For the twelfth time in as many minutes, Clark glanced around the empty house. He couldn't put his finger on what was wrong, but somewhere, deep in his soul, he knew.  
  
Lois.  
  
***  
  
The young man from the sidewalk cafe stepped off the elevator and entered the newsroom. Looking around, his eyes found the man he was looking for, coming out of the supply closet. He was adjusting his clothes, as if he had just got changed. He quietly moved towards his target.  
  
"Can I help you?" The reporter seemed agitated, in a hurry.  
  
"Clark Kent?"  
  
"Yes, that's me. Mr.?"  
  
"Your wife was kidnapped." The young man handed over the napkin, and turned to leave.  
  
"Wait, who are you?"  
  
"I'm... a fan of your work." He ignored Clark's attempts to recapture his attention, and boarded the elevator.  
  
***  
  
Clark puzzled over the man's strange behaviour for a moment, but very quickly decided it didn't matter. Glancing at the napkin, he discovered a licence plate number and a description of a van. He jogged towards his desk, intent on phoning Inspector Henderson to get a trace on the licence plate. He knew Bill would give it to him without asking too many questions. Since Lois' invulnerability meant that she had to have gone voluntarily, he wanted to find out what the situation was before the police became involved.  
  
"Clark? It's late. Why aren't you at home with that lovely wife of yours?" Clark considered ignoring his boss in favour of phoning Henderson, but he respected Perry too much for that.  
  
"Lois was kidnapped, Perry."  
  
"Judas Priest! Why aren't you phoning the police?"  
  
"I was just about to. I just got a tip on the van that took her, and I was going to ask Bill to run it for me."  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Perry picked up Clark's phone and handed it to him. Worry for the woman he thought of as a daughter shone from his eyes.  
  
Taking the phone, Clark dialled the station. Perry watched him anxiously. He wasn't supposed to have favourites among the reporters, but he did, and Lois was one of them. He listened as the other of his favourites talked into the phone.  
  
"Inspector Henderson, please."  
  
"Hi, Bill, it's Clark. Can you run a licence plate for me?"  
  
"Of course it's important, Bill."  
  
"It's a black van."  
  
"What do you mean, was Lois kidnapped again? Why would you think that?"  
  
"Oh. You're right, I suppose." There was a long pause. Then Clark began scribbling on a piece of paper.  
  
"Thanks, Bill. I owe you one."  
  
Clark put the phone down. He tore the paper off the pad and turned to leave. He hadn't moved more than a stride from his desk when Perry called out.  
  
"I don't suppose I can persuade you to wait for Henderson, can I?" Clark turned around, and something in his eyes warned Perry. He sighed. "Be careful, Clark."  
  
Clark nodded, and jogged towards the stairwell. If Perry thought it was odd that he was taking the stairs not the elevator, he didn't say anything about it. Neither of them saw the figure who slipped into the stairwell while they were talking.  
  
***  
  
Lois had found a sharp edge on the chair. Ever since her kidnapper had left, she had been rubbing the rope binding her wrists backwards and forwards along it. Testing the strength of the ropes, she felt them give a little. Her spirit soared. Gathering her strength, she pulled against her bonds as hard as she could. They snapped.  
  
Quickly, she leant forwards and undid the ropes around her feet. Wincing, she rubbed her ankles. Her captors had almost cut off the circulation. When she felt a tingle in her toes, she got up.  
  
Lois' first move was towards the Kryptonite. Fortunately, the head of Intergang had left the box behind, so all she had to do was close the lid, and the sickly green glow was cut off. Picking up the box, Lois crept towards the door.  
  
Putting her ear to the door, Lois listened carefully. She didn't know who or what was behind it, and without her powers, she had no sure way of finding out. She couldn't hear anything, so she twisted the handle and slowly started to open the door.  
  
A small crack was all she needed to see into the hallway. A typical warehouse, with packing crates stacked in neat rows. Lois couldn't see any of her kidnappers, so she eased the door open the rest of the way, praying that it wouldn't squeak.  
  
The door opened silently, and Lois slipped out into the warehouse. Looking around, she tiptoed behind a stack of crates and started working her way around the warehouse, looking for the exit.  
  
Rounding a corner, she came face to face with the most enormous rat she had ever seen. Lois couldn't completely suppress the instinctive scream. It came out as a sort of strangled squeak. She instantly froze.  
  
For what felt like an hour, but was probably only a minute, she stood there, listening intently. Fortunately, no-one seemed to have heard. No voices were raised, no clatter of feet sounded to suggest that the crooks were rushing to discover who had made the sound.  
  
More confident now, Lois started to creep forward again. She made her way around almost the entire building before she found a door.  
  
"I should have started in the other direction," she complained silently. Taking a breath, she reached out and took hold of the handle. Twisting it slowly, she eased the door open.  
  
She was staring into the barrel of a gun.  
  
***  
  
As he stepped into the stairwell, Clark was immediately aware of another presence. He could hear a heartbeat, and breathing, and he turned towards them. His eyebrows raised in surprise as he realised who his companion was.  
  
"Jimmy! What are you doing here?"  
  
"Waiting for you. I heard you talking to Perry. I'm coming too." Jimmy looked determined, and he wasn't going to take no for an answer.  
  
"It could be dangerous."  
  
"There could be Kryptonite."  
  
Jimmy had played the trump card, and Clark knew it. He grinned at his young friend. It surprised him to realise that he actually wanted Jimmy to come. He had come to trust Jimmy with his life, and knew that Lois felt the same way. The thought of Lois spurred him into action, and he took Jimmy's hand. They flew up the stairs and left from the roof.  
  
***  
  
Clark and Jimmy entered an apartment building overlooking Siegel Park. This was where the van was registered to, and the owner hadn't reported it stolen. Clark supposed it was possible that he just hadn't noticed yet, but this was a nicer area than Hobbs Bay, so that seemed unlikely. As they rode in the elevator to the fourth floor, Clark used his x-ray vision to check the apartment. Empty.  
  
Checking the hallway quickly, Clark pulled out his set of lock picks. Lois had bought him a set of his own after he kept borrowing hers. Suppressing a flash of worry over his wife, Clark set to work on the lock. With x-ray vision, it was ridiculously easy to open the door. Glancing along the hallway once again, Clark stepped into the apartment.  
  
It was a fairly ordinary apartment. There was a desk in one corner of the living room. While Jimmy searched the rest of the apartment, Clark rifled through the papers lying on it, and was not surprised to find several unsigned, typewritten notes. Notes very similar to ones that he had found at apartments of known Intergang employees. These particular notes outlined the plan for kidnapping Lois. As he read the last lines of one of the notes, Clark's eyes widened, and he began to chuckle. This was too easy. He read it out loud.  
  
"Take Ms Lane to the old shoe warehouse in Hobbs Bay. Do not forget to burn this once you have memorised the instructions."  
  
"I don't know, Clark, it seems too easy." Jimmy glanced up with a worried expression on his face.  
  
"What have I told you about contaminating crime scenes, Clark?" Bill Henderson's voice sounded from behind the reporter. Clark grimaced. He had hoped to leave before Bill got here, so that they could fly to the warehouse. Now Bill would insist on coming, and they would have to travel in the car with him. That would slow them down considerably.  
  
"I only touched one thing, Bill. Look." He showed the Inspector the note. After reading it, Bill looked directly into Clark's eyes.  
  
"I suppose you want to come?" Clark simply looked at his friend. Bill sighed. "Come on, then."  
  
The three investigators left the apartment, rejoined Bill's men in their cars, and sped off towards Hobbs Bay.  
  
***  
  
"I do wish you'd stop trying to escape, Ms Lane. You're not going to succeed."  
  
Lois sighed. She had come so close this time. And the time before, and the time before that. She now sported a black eye and a swollen lip for her trouble. Actually, Lois was surprised that was all her kidnappers had done to her. For violent criminals who were planning on killing her anyway, they did seem to be very considerate of her feelings.  
  
Next time, Lois decided, she wasn't even going to attempt to get out of the building. She was going to hide among the packing crates until they discovered that she was missing. Then, when they were spread thinly around the warehouse looking for her, she could slip out of the door. If she met one of them, she could probably take him out, but all five at the same time was too much even for her. That was what had gone wrong before.  
  
The men tied her hands behind her back. They didn't bother with a chair this time, having discovered that all of the chairs in the warehouse had sharp edges. And there were lots of chairs in the warehouse. It was a furniture warehouse, after all. Instead, they left her in a corner of the room. And then they departed. The Kryptonite was once again exposed, in the opposite corner of the room to Lois.  
  
Thanking her Tae Kwon Do instructor silently for all the training that had made her so supple, Lois looped her arms under her feet so that her hands were in front of her face. She started picking at the knots with her teeth.  
  
***  
  
Bill, Clark, and Jimmy looked at the shoe warehouse from across the street. It seemed deserted, but there was really no way of telling for certain. Clark, who was standing slightly behind his friends, pulled his glasses down his nose and squinted at the nearest wall. The bricks and mortar started to dissolve, but then his vision was blocked. Lead. Why did all of the warehouses in Hobbs Bay have to be lead-lined?  
  
"Well, there's only one way to find out," he muttered, responding to the unspoken question which was going through all of their minds. He started to creep towards the warehouse.  
  
"Clark!" Bill hissed. "What do you think you're doing? You have no idea who or what is in there."  
  
"Bill, this is Lois we're talking about. I have to." Clark was determined, and no policeman, friend or otherwise, was going to stop him rescuing his wife. It had been two hours since Lois left work. If all was well, she should have been able to get the story and escape by now. She hadn't, which meant that something had gone wrong. Clark didn't like the sound of that 'something'. It had disaster written all over it.  
  
Creeping towards the building, Clark reached out with his superhearing, listening for what was inside. Just because he couldn't see through the walls didn't mean he had to be unprepared.  
  
Reaching the wall of the warehouse, he paused in confusion. He couldn't hear anything. Actually, he could, just not from inside the warehouse.  
  
"Great," he muttered. "Lead-lined and sound-proofed. Just what I needed." Shrugging his shoulders, he moved towards the back of the warehouse, out of the line of sight of the police. As he had hoped, there was a back door to the warehouse, leading into an office. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the lock picks.  
  
A glance at the door showed him that it, too, was made of lead. He sighed. It was going to take a lot longer to pick the lock if he couldn't see what he was doing. He considered simply breaking the door down, but decided that it would make too much noise. Lois' kidnappers might hear and do something to her. Just what they might do, Clark wasn't sure, and it was the uncertainty that gave him caution.  
  
Thankfully, he was saved from the dubious pleasure of picking the lock by the arrival of Jimmy, who had followed his friend after reassuring Henderson that they would be fine. He had been able to persuade the Inspector to stay with the other police officers at the front of the building.  
  
Clark cracked the door open a little and slipped into the building. He had barely taken a step inside when he was overcome by pain and nausea.  
  
***  
  
Something heavy crashed against the door and slammed it shut, and Jimmy knew that he had been right to come along. Pushing the door open was difficult, and when he stuck his head into the warehouse, he knew why. Clark was leaning against the door, almost unconscious. Muttering rude comments about his friend, and thinking wistfully of his lost superpowers, Jimmy pulled Clark to his feet.  
  
Jimmy dragged his friend out into the sunshine. Before Clark regained his wits and told him not to, Jimmy slipped back into the warehouse. He paused for a moment to let his eyes adjust to the gloom, and then started searching for the Kryptonite.  
  
The warehouse was almost completely empty. There were a few boxes of shoes in one corner, but no exits other than the front, and Henderson had that covered. There was no sign of the bad guys. Unless there was a hidden room somewhere, Lois wasn't being held here.  
  
"I knew it seemed too easy," he griped to himself. "But no, Clark had to come and fall straight into the trap. If I hadn't been here, he might have died. I hope he realises that."  
  
A subtle glow in one corner alerted him. Approaching warily, he found the Kryptonite. There was no box, but the rock was resting on a piece of paper. Fortunately, since he had discovered his friend's identity, Jimmy had started carrying some lead foil with him. Taking it out, he quickly wrapped the Kryptonite and put it in his pocket. Glancing at the paper, he saw that it was a note, and picked it up.  
  
Glancing round the rest of the warehouse quickly, he went back outside to check on his friend. Clark was sitting up, looking sheepish.  
  
"Thank you, Jimmy. I'm glad you were here. Did you get it?"  
  
Jimmy, slightly surprised that Clark wasn't telling him off for putting himself in danger, pulled the lead package out of his pocket. Clark grimaced in remembered pain.  
  
"You know, that was unlike anything I've ever felt. Usually it takes a few minutes of exposure for me to get to the state that I was in. I think we should take that to Dr Klein, see what he thinks."  
  
"There was a note." Jimmy's voice was grim, unamused. He handed over the piece of paper.  
  
Clark glanced at the word typed in the centre of the paper. Jimmy knew that he had noticed the style; the same as the instruction letter they had found in the apartment. Crumpling the paper in his hand, Clark stood. If he had not already know by the way he was standing, one look in Clark's eyes would have convinced Jimmy that his friend was angry. Very angry.  
  
Jimmy followed his friend as he stalked out to the front of the warehouse and rejoined the police. Bill Henderson took one look at Clark's face and came to the same conclusion Jimmy had. He took a guess at the reason.  
  
"Not there?"  
  
"Not there." Clark confirmed, his voice taut. Tossing the screwed up note to the Inspector, he stalked off. Bill called after him.  
  
"Where are you going, Clark?"  
  
"Star Labs. There was some Kryptonite in there. You coming, Jimmy?"  
  
Jimmy hurried to catch up with Clark. Just before he reached the corner, he looked back. Bill Henderson was unfolding the note. Jimmy saw his jaw clench as he took in its contents. Although he could no longer see the word, Jimmy knew what was written there.  
  
In typed letters, it said, very simply, "Idiot."  
  
***  
  
Hiding among the crates, Lois listened to the shouts of the men. They were getting closer. Hefting the Kryptonite box, she thought quickly. If she could get rid of the Kryptonite, make sure her kidnappers couldn't find it, she could call Clark. But where could she hide it?  
  
The crates were packed tightly, but there was a small gap between two stacks. It was barely large enough for Lois to fit through, and she grinned. Her kidnappers were all big men. They would never fit in there. As quickly as she could, Lois wriggled sideways through the gap. She expected it to be a dead end, but as she neared the centre of the stack she discovered that the tiny passageway turned a corner.  
  
Carefully poking her head out, she was confronted with another thin corridor, leading deeper into the stack of crates. Lois shrugged and wriggled around the corner. If she stayed here, she would be hidden from her kidnappers. However, her reporter's instincts took over, and she started to creep towards the other end of the passageway. Perhaps it went all of the way through to the other side of the stack.  
  
It was a lot of effort wriggling through the small aisle, but her efforts were rewarded when she turned another corner and came in sight of the warehouse door. She couldn't see any guards, but that didn't mean anything. They could be at the side of the door, or behind it.  
  
Lois considered her options. She could scream for her husband, or she could try to escape on her own. If there were guards, her chances of escape were slim, but if she called Clark, they would immediately know exactly where she was. And she still had the Kryptonite.  
  
That was the first priority, she decided. Quickly moving to the middle of the thin corridor, she left the lead box on the floor. It couldn't be seen from either side of the stack of crates. The men would only know it was here if they saw her coming out at the end, and if she was lucky, they wouldn't see her. Risky as it was, Lois had decided to try once more to escape on her own. If she was caught this time, she would call for Clark, but she didn't want to take that chance. Hiding the Kryptonite would do no good if they had some more.  
  
Lois crept carefully forwards until she could see the spaces on either side of the door. There was nobody there. Holding her breath, she eased out of her hiding place and stole towards the door. She reached out to turn the handle. Just about to turn it, her brain registered a small squeak behind her. She whirled around to find herself faced with one of her kidnappers. With a gun.  
  
***  
  
"Dr Klein, it's good to see you again."  
  
"Clark! And Jimmy, how are you? I don't suppose this is a social call, is it?"  
  
"Afraid not, Dr Klein, sorry. Lois was kidnapped." Clark proceeded to tell the story to the doctor, slightly altering the details to leave out the fact that the Kryptonite had affected him. Handing over the Kryptonite, still in it's lead wrapping, he explained how it had affected Superman.  
  
"Superman said it felt stronger, more intensely painful than normal Kryptonite. Maybe you could do some tests on it, see what's different about it?"  
  
The scientist nodded knowingly.  
  
"You're worried that somebody made this, aren't you? A synthetic Kryptonite that is more powerful than the original." He shuddered. "A terrifying thought."  
  
Jimmy had a sudden thought.  
  
"Dr Klein, do you still have that tissue sample from UltraWoman?"  
  
"Yes, I do. I'll check to see what effect it has on her cells. If it's as strong as Superman said, it might be dangerous to her."  
  
Dr Klein wandered off, already muttering to himself about the different tests he was planning. Quietly, Clark pulled Jimmy out of the lab.  
  
"Let's go, before he decides to unwrap it."  
  
***  
  
Instinctively, Lois kicked out at the gun in the man's hand. Before the kidnapper had time to shout, she had disarmed him and was throwing him over her hip to land with a thud on the concrete floor of the warehouse. He didn't get up.  
  
Lois didn't feel very sympathetic towards the man. He was the one who had given her a black eye. He groaned softly, and Lois quickly hit him over the head. He subsided back into unconsciousness, hopefully giving Lois enough time to escape before he raised the alarm. Grabbing the gun by the barrel, she slipped out of the door and started running.  
  
Surprisingly, no-one shot at her as she ran to the nearest corner. Just before she turned into the next street, she glanced back and saw that the warehouse had no windows on this side, and the door had swung shut. There was no way for the members of Intergang to see her, which explained the lack of bullets.  
  
Lois didn't relax until she was a couple of blocks away. Leaning against the wall of another warehouse, she caught her breath for a moment, and then decided to get hold of her husband the quickest way she knew how.  
  
"Help! Superman!"  
  
***  
  
Clark and Jimmy were in the Jeep on the way back to the Planet. Clark had been surprised to find that the Jeep was at Star Labs, but then he remembered that he had left it there the previous day. He had gone on a rescue, and had forgotten to go back for it once Lois had been kidnapped. He and Jimmy were both worried about Lois, but were trying not to show it. Instead, they were discussing superpowers.  
  
"I know I only had them for a short time, but I feel almost bereft without them. I can't imagine what you feel like every time you lose yours."  
  
"It's hard. It's not just the energy, it's the need to help." Clark wondered if his friend really understood what he meant. Jimmy didn't have the same wonderful parents that he had, but he was a good person. The experience with the superpowers had matured him considerably. He had seen things in that week that many people never imagined. If anyone except Lois really understood, it would be Jimmy.  
  
Jimmy nodded soberly. "When I think of all those rescues I could be doing, it makes me feel… I don't know. I wish I had them back."  
  
"I wish you did, too, Jimmy."  
  
Suddenly, Clark's head snapped round, and he abruptly pulled the car over to the side of the road. Jimmy barely had time to register that they had changed course before he had disappeared in a rush of wind.  
  
Shrugging, Jimmy changed seats and resumed the journey to the Planet. Whatever was the matter, Clark would probably meet him there.  
  
***  
  
Clark swooped down and landed next to Lois. The first thing he noticed was her split lip and black eye.  
  
"Lois! What happened? Are you alright?"  
  
Lois brushed him off.  
  
"I'm fine, Clark, it's just a bruise. We need to go to the Planet and write the story." She glanced at the gun in her hands. "Oh, and drop this off at the police station so that they can run the fingerprints on it." Clark, well used to Lois wanting to write the story before she had time to rest, took her in his arms and launched himself into the sky.  
  
"So what happened?"  
  
"Do you want the short version or the long version?" Lois had a wry smile on her lips.  
  
"Why don't you start with the short version," suggested Clark, amused. He fully expected the long version anyway. His wife surprised him by telling the entire story in four short phrases.  
  
"Intergang kidnapped me, they had Kryptonite, it took my powers away, I escaped."  
  
"Don't you think we ought to go and catch them?"  
  
"No. Clark, there is no way I am going to tell you where they held me. You would go and confront them, and they would pull out some Kryptonite, and that would be it. No, as soon as we get back to the Planet, we'll tell Bill, and he'll go."  
  
Marriage to Lois had taught Clark a lot, so he didn't argue. They flew the rest of the way in silence.  
  
***  
  
Perry was relieved to have Lois back. He tried to find out exactly what had happened, but she practically ignored him.  
  
"Chief, you can read the story when I send it to you for editing. If we don't start now, we won't get it written in time for the morning edition." She immediately went over to her computer and sat down. Clark followed, shrugging apologetically at his boss.  
  
Soon, the story was written. Jimmy had been back to the newsroom and left again. Clark had phoned Bill Henderson, who had gone to the warehouse. As expected, by the time he got there Intergang had left, and the place was deserted. After sending the story to Perry, Lois asked Clark to take her back to the warehouse.  
  
"Why, Lois? Bill's men already went over it and didn't find anything."  
  
She smiled mysteriously.  
  
"I know somewhere they didn't check." They headed for the stairwell.  
  
***  
  
At the warehouse, all was quiet. The police had gone, leaving only reams of yellow tape to show that they had been there at all. Lois slipped under the tape and into the building. Clark followed, but he wasn't fast enough, and when he looked around for his wife, he couldn't see her.  
  
"Lois?" he called, concerned. He was just about to use his x-ray vision when he heard her voice.  
  
"Over here, Clark." He made his way towards her voice, and was puzzled to see her squeezing out from between two stacks of packing crates. When he saw the lead box that she was carrying, all became clear.  
  
"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"  
  
Lois was prevented from replying to that by the ringing of her cell phone. It was Bill Henderson. He had tried to contact them at the Planet, but had missed them. They told him about the Kryptonite that Lois had hidden, and he told them what progress he had made in the investigation. The fingerprints from the gun matched a known criminal, who had unfortunately disappeared. The other men that Lois had described had also disappeared.  
  
The investigation was still continuing, but there was not much hope that it would ever be solved.  
  
***  
  
The two superheroes flew to Star Labs to give the Kryptonite to Dr Klein. Or rather, Clark flew. Lois' powers were still missing. When they made their way into Dr Klein's office, he seemed subdued.  
  
"I've been doing some tests with that modified Kryptonite you brought me, Clark. I've had some… interesting results. Could you get a hold of Superman and UltraWoman? I think it would be better to discuss this with them."  
  
Clark was not surprised by this. Dr Klein was always very good at matters of doctor-patient confidentiality. He handed the lead box to his doctor, and they left to get changed.  
  
Ten minutes later, Lois and Clark were back in the doctor's office, dressed in spandex. Clark had flown in carrying his wife, to be greeted by a sigh from Dr Klein.  
  
"I was afraid of that," he said. "You encountered the modified Kryptonite, didn't you?" He wondered if UltraWoman's encounter with the deadly rock was related to Lois' kidnapping earlier that day. Shrugging it off, he continued to speak. "The tests which I performed on this new form of the rock were conclusive."  
  
As the doctor explained his experiments to the two superheroes, he watched their expressions change. They started politely interested, and slowly became confused, and then upset. But through it all, there was a ray of hope in their eyes.  
  
***  
  
Epilogue:  
  
***  
  
Clark and Jimmy were on the roof of the Daily Planet. They went there to talk about superhero things sometimes, and tonight was no different. Clark had been excited when he came back from his meeting with Dr Klein, and had almost immediately brought Jimmy up here. It was obvious to Jimmy that his friend wanted to tell him something important.  
  
Clark began to speak.  
  
Jimmy's heart leapt as he listened to Clark's voice. He could barely comprehend what his friend was telling him. Dr Klein had been wrong. His powers hadn't failed because he was growing. Dr Klein had assumed that because Ace was younger than the other two superheroes, his age must have had something to do with the degeneration of his cells. It didn't.  
  
All this time, he could have had the powers back. He could have been helping.  
  
It was so simple.  
  
The Kryptonite that he and Clark had found in the warehouse had been modified. Dr Klein's tests had shown that it would take away UltraWoman's powers, permanently. Even with a minute of exposure, once the Kryptonite was removed her cells would degenerate spontaneously. Just like his cells had done.  
  
Lois and Clark had taken the scenic route from Star Labs to the Planet, through a storm. UltraWoman was already back.  
  
Silence caused Jimmy to look at his friend. He realised that Clark was waiting for an answer, but he had missed the question.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said, I hear there's an electrical storm over Cleveland. Do you want to…?"  
  
Jimmy simply held out his hand. Clark took it, and together they stepped off the roof.  
  
  
  
Epilogue 2:  
  
***  
  
The head of Intergang looked around the secret lab with satisfaction. There was no way to trace him here. He was safe, and so was the equipment. As he left, he turned out the lights, and looked at the soft green glow which bathed the room. He smiled.  
  
THE END 


End file.
